ICA Annual 2010

It is apt that the theme
for this year’s Annual is
Pledge to our Nation .
As we pledge to carry
out our duties diligently
and professionally, we
also pledge to serve and
protect our nation well,
keeping it safe and secure.
TOGETHER, we can achieve
this objective and uphold
ICA’s Mission and Vision of
Inspiring
Confidence in
All .
Commissioner’s Foreword
A Year of Consolidation
ICA celebrated our 7 th anniversary in 2010 and we continued
to consolidate our position in all aspects of ICA’s operations.
As we reflected on our Singapore Quality Award in 2009,
ICA did not rest on our laurels.
ICA went on to claim the inaugural Web Excellence Award
and the Singapore H.E.A.L.T.H (Helping Employees Achieve
Life-Time Health) Platinum Award. In May 2010, we attained
the Public Service Premier Award for organisational excellence.
Our e-Visitor Programme bagged the Asia-Oceania Computing
Industry Organisation (ASOCIO) ICT Best Practice Award and
demonstrated ICA’s ability to harness technology in pursuit
of service excellence and border security. ICA was also
ranked first for airport incoming passport control and airport
customs clearance by the Business Traveller (UK & Europe)
(Asia Pacific) in 2010. The awards are a testament to ICA’s
commitment to provide excellent service with a security
mindset. On the security scorecard front, I am proud to note
that immigration offences are at a ten-year low. The total
number of foreigners arrested for immigration offences fell
by 23 percent from the previous year. Smuggling attempts
were successfully thwarted at our checkpoints with a record
high of 67,600 cases detected, clearly exhibiting ICA officers’
continued vigilance at the checkpoints.
On 1 September 2010, I took over the helm of ICA from then
Commissioner Eric Tan. I count myself blessed to have been
a member of his team of committed men and women. I see
it now as my duty and service to carry on with ICA’s neverending
journey for operational and service excellence. It is
a never-ending journey because we must always strive to
do better. Together with our strategic partners within the
Home Team, as well as partners and friends in the public
and private sectors, ICA will continue to innovate, reinvent
and chart a new future that will be shaped by more secure
and enhanced user-friendly services.
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The ICA Way
Safeguarding our borders will always be ICA’s topmost priority
as we bear the honour and responsibility entrusted to us by the
nation. As terrorism and security concerns remain key driving
forces in the regional and global security landscape, ICA must
continue to be resilient as well as reinvent and re-energise to
remain at the fore. Our belief is that we must not only stay
ahead of our adversaries but also be better than we were
yesterday. To achieve this, ICA will dig deeper into the hardware
(infrastructure and systems) and software (processes and
procedures) application and embrace innovation to stay ahead.
ICA’s strategy goes beyond enacting effective laws and
investing in cutting-edge technology. More importantly, we
believe in investing in our people (humanware), the life-blood
of ICA’s heartware. Our officers are our most valued assets and
we will continue to bring out the best in every ICA officer. For
this, I am grateful to our local and overseas counterparts. Our
officers’ perspective and potential have been enhanced through
training programmes developed in-house as well as those
conducted in collaboration with our local strategic partners and
international counterparts.
ICA’s definition of “people” is not only confined to ICA
officers, but also our local and foreign strategic partners and
customers whom we serve in delivering accurate and quality
identification, immigration and checkpoint-security services. In
this respect, I would like to thank all the ICA “Ambassadors”,
supporters and friends for the constructive contributions and
continued support.
ICA believes in investing in relationships as we are confident
that quality relationships will produce quality results. In 2010,
ICA co-hosted the Bali Process Workshop on Immigration
Aspects of Seaport Security with Australia and hosted the
ASEAN Border Leadership Exchange (ABLE) Programme.
We also hosted the Singapore Co-operation Checkpoint
Competencies module for our ASEAN immigration and customs
counterparts. These workshops are excellent capacity building
platforms for immigration and security specialists from the
region to come together to innovate, network and share
experiences and best practices. Team ICA is gearing itself
up to host the ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration
Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Division of
Ministries of Foreign Affairs Meeting (DGICM) later this
year. We look forward to a time of fruitful discussions in
the ASEAN way of friendship and collaboration.
A Pledge to our Nation
As we celebrated our 7th anniversary last year, we unveiled
the ICA Pledge. I am proud that the pledge did not come from
the “few at the top” but was conceptualised in consultation
with all our officers. The Pledge captures the essence of our
call of duty and it echoes our commitment to uphold ICA’s
Mission and Vision.
It is apt that the theme for this year’s Annual is “Pledge to
our Nation”. As we pledge to carry out our duties diligently
and professionally, we also pledge to serve and protect our
nation well, keeping it safe and secure. TOGETHER, we can
achieve this objective and uphold ICA’s Mission and Vision of
“Inspiring Confidence in All”.
Mr Clarence Yeo
COMMISSIONER ICA